Log-bundling apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for receiving logs and timbers to collect and compact several into a bundle for subsequent transport as a unit.

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Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Frank E. WernerAttorney-Ford E. Smith [54] LOG-BUNDLING APPARATUS 5 Claims, 4 DrawingFigs.

214/12, ABSTRACT: An apparatus for receiving logs and timbers to undlefor subsequent 100/7, l0O/8;2l4/700 collect and compact several into a b[51] B63b27/l6 transportasaunit.

l LOGvBUNDLING APPARATUS CROSS REFERENCE This application is asubstitute of application Ser. No. 652,073, filed July l0, I967, nowabandoned.

BACKGROUND In many areas where logging operations are conducted it isdesirable to gather quantities of logs for transport either overland orover the'water. With overland hauling the usual mode has been to rack orstack the logs on a carrier such as a truck or a railroad car. Thisoperation is normally conducted by the use of overhead lifting means,booms, cranes or the like. The carriers have uprights at their sides andthe logs are deposited therebetween and then secured for hauling. Forwaterborne transport it has been the custom to form rafts, generallycomprising a single layer of floating logs surrounded by a boom. Suchrafts are towed from the collection place to a mill-pond or otherholding place for subsequent lumbering operations. Under relativelyquiet conditions the water transport of logs in large, loose rafts isusually satisfactory. However, there are many places where wind andwaves and tidal action makes this a very hazardous and unsatisfactorywayto move great quantities of logs. e

In the past, multiple-deck rafts have been devised where great numbersof logs are accumulated and decked and strapped or otherwise securedinto a compact unit. Generally, such rafts are of substantial dimensionas to length. breadth and depth. It is necessary in constructing suchrafts that there be sheltered waters and that powerful and'largelog-handling equipment be provided. Such an operation is not practicalwhere there is considerable exposure to the elements and v where thereare tidal movementsof the water.

Having in mind the inland waterways of the Puget Sound area of thePacific Northwest United States and the passages and inlets of theCoastal Regions of British Columbia and Southeastern Alaska, it has beenobserved that millions of logs of marketable quality have escaped overthe years and have been deposited on the remote shores and beachesthroughout the entire area. It is a practical impossibility to salvagethese logs in accordance with the present methods and the presentlyknown equipment because of the substantialexposure of the salvagors andtheir equipment to the vagaries of the elements.

It is my concept that most, if not all, of the salvage difficulties canbe overcome by the provision of log-bundling apparatus which may beincorporated with a mobile platform equipped with a power-operatedcrane. It is, therefore, an ob ject of this invention to providelog-bundling apparatus adaptable to the rapid andefficient accumulationof logs and timbers into a tight compact bundle which may be secured andtransported as a unit.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of simplyconstructed and easily operated cradling means for receiving logs beingsalvaged andaccumulating a quantity of them adapted to form such into acompact bundle.

A still further object of the invention has been the provision oflog-cradling means which may be easily discharged of a formed log bundleto free the log unit for collection and rafting for transport to themills or other holding places.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of log-bundlingapparatus which may be used in stationary installations or on floatingbases that may be water borne from place to place in the salvage ofshorestranded logs.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparentduring the course of the following description in which is set forth thepreferred form of the invention. It will, of course, be apparent tothose skilled in the art that changes and alterations may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention as defined bythe'subjoined claims. All such, by a liberal and appropriate applicationof the doctrine of equivalents, as reasonably fall within theappropriate degree of equivalency are intended to be covered by thispoint.

DRAWINGS In the drawings forming a part of this specification:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of log-bundling apparatus associated with abarge of other mobile unit including log-salvaging power means;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the log-bundling apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the log-bundling apparatus indetail; and

FIG. 4 is an end view showing the log-bundling apparatus discharging anaccumulated and bound bundle of logs bound bundle of logs.

DESCRIPTION Referring particularly to FIG. 1, the barge I0 is shown inthe conventional rectangular shape as having power units l2,l2 at oneend, living and operating quarters 14, a crane 16 mounted on a swivelbase 18 secured near the end of the barge I0. The power units 12,12 maybe outboard power packages, as shown, or the propulsion means maybedriven from a prime mover unit mounted within the barge. The barge 10forms a working platform as well as a support for the swiveled crane l6and, along its sides, as the support for the log-bundling apparatusappropriately located to receive salvaged logs. It may be anchored tothe shore by lines 13,13; and by means of stem line 15 anchored on thebottom, it may haul itself off the shore when a move is being started.

Customarily, that end of the barge 10 carrying the crane I6 is nosed intoward the beach or shore on which logs L may previously have beendeposited, either from the water or as windfalls from times past. Theworkhouse of crane 16 includes a power-operated winch from which extendsthe cable 20 that may have on its outer end log tongs 22. By such meansthelogs are grasped, moved, lifted and eventually deposited in thelogbundling apparatus. During movement of the barge I0 from place toplace, the crane 16 may be fully revolved on itsswivel base 18, and theboom 17 is lowered .to rest on the house 14 to place the apparatus inshipshape condition.

As best may be seen in FIG. 3, at the side of the barge on plate 24 isprovided upright guideways 26 which receive the vertically movablebase-plate 28. By means of an upstanding pin 30 and cable 32 passingover guide sheaves 34, plate 28 is suspended over the side of the vesselin a vertical manner. Cable 32 is connected to rod 36 that is subjectedto the retractive force of spring 38 in housing 40, secured .to the deckof the barge 10, generally normal to the side of the barge, as shown inFIG. 1. While there is but one pair of log-cradling units shown at oneside of the vessel 10, it will be understood that the same may beduplicated on the other side of the vessel to thus materially increasecapacity and to permit timber sorting and segregation.

Outstanding at the side of the barge from plate 28 is a pair of arms42,42 which have a lower arcuate portion 44 and an upper and outwardlycurved horn-portions 46. Preferably the arms 42,42 are spaced apart andjoined together by bolts or rivets 48 so that the paired arms in effectfonn a laterally outstanding channel. Between the arms 42,42 is mountedthe arcuate jaw member 50, pivoted on pin 52. The normal disposition ofjaw 50 is shown in FIG. 3, with its inboard portion being located in thechannel between arms 42,42 thus forming the cradle shape for receivinglogs or timbers. When it is tilted, as shown in FIG. 4, a bundle of logspreviously accumulated therein is rolled over or tilted outward from thevessel 10 to deposit the bundle in the water. At its inner end, jawmember 50 has a cross-pin 54 which normally resides in the notches 56 ofthe arms 42,42 as can best be seen in FIG. 3. The weight and shape ofthe jaw member 50 is such that its normal tendency is to maintain itsinner end and the cross-pin 54in cradling relation to the arms 42,42. Abail'58 of such a size as to swing over and inboard of the horns 46,46is provided. When it is desired to tilt jaw 50 outward, by the use of ahook 60 on supplemental lifting line 21, also carried by the boom 17,the bail 58 may be engaged, lifted and swung outward between thepositions shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

During movement of the barge from one salvage site to another it may bedesirable to unship or remove the cradle arms 42,42 from the guidewaysin plates 24 and to deposit them on the barge deck. This is easilyaccomplished by disconnecting eye and cable 32, the hoisting operationbeing facilitated by the boom 17 and its hoisting line 20.

MODE OF OPERATION As salvage operations progress, the operators securethe tongs or other grasping equipment 22 to the logs on the beach andlift and swing the same into the paired cradles as shown in FIG. 1. Asseveral logs are accumulated and their weight and mass increase, adownward force is exerted on the cradling apparatus. In other words,there is a tendency to force the arcuate jaw 50 and the outstanding arms42,42 downward. This is accommodated by compression of the spring 38allowing the cable 32 to payout, thus permitting plate 28 to movedownward in the guideways 26.

As a number of logs accumulate, the overhanging horns 46 and theinwardly directed outer end 51 of the jaw 50 tends to shape the bundleinto a round and compact form as disclosed in FIG. 2. When a sufficientamount of logs to form a suitable bundle have been accumulated, theoperators will pass band ing or a choker cable 64, or several of them,around the formed bundle. The operation of compacting logs isfacilitated by the shape of the cradles and eliminates the necessity ofapplying lifting and jostling forces to the choker cables. The logsclose together as they accumulate and, in this way. an extremely tightbundle is formed. This is desirable because. in rough water and for longdistance moving, loose bundles can work in the water and thus logs canescape again.

As the log bundle is dumped into the water, in the manner shown in FIG.4. expansion of the springs 38 will tend to lift plates 28 and theassociated jaws 42.42 and 50 upward to near the surface of the water inreadiness for the next deposit of logs.

in the foregoing description there has been disclosed a preferred formof the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatequipment of this nature must be made very rugged and quite simple inorder to insure that it remains operable despite hard usage and therigors of the elements to which the equipment may be subjected. Forexample. the simplest form of vertical guideways and a verticallymovable member 28 mounted therein have been shown. Quite obvi ously,antifriction devices may be included without departing from theinvention.

I claim:

1. Log-bundling apparatus, comprising:

A. a vessel;

B. a pair of spacedapart cradles at a side ofa vessel located adjacentthe water line to receive logs deposited therein;

C. each said cradle including:

vertical guideways secured to the side ofthe vessel;

an upwardly biased member guidedly movable in said guideways andincluding outstanding rigid arm means forming an inboard portion of thecradle; and

a second arcuate arm intermediately pivoted to the outer portion of saidrigid arm means, said second arm being so disposed that its outerportion forms an outboard upstanding log cradling portion of the cradlespaced from the vessel; and

D. means associated inboard with said second arm for engaging andpivotally moving the same to dislodge upward and dump outward logsaccumulated and bundled in such cradle.

2. Log-bundling apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the rigidarm means includes a pair of spaced-apart, outstanding arcuate arms, andthe second arcuate arm is outwardly pivoted between said pair of armsintermediate its ends so that the inboard portion is normally disposedbetween said pair of rigid arcuate arms and forms part 0 the cradlebottom of the cradle.

3. Log-bundling apparatus in accordance with claim 2 in which the innerend of the second arcuate arm includes a bail engageable by hoistingmeans for exerting force upward on the inner end of the second arcuatearm to discharge the cradle.

4. Log-bundling apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which thevertically guided member is biased upward toward the surface of water atthe side of the vessel by biasing means mounted on the deck of thevessel and a flexible draft member connects between said guided memberof said biasing means.

5. The structure according to claim 1 in which there is mounted in thevessel means to lift and move logs to deposit them in said cradles.

1. Log-bundling apparatus, comprising: A. a vessel; B. a pair ofspaced-apart cradles at a side of a vessel located adjacent the waterline to receive logs deposited therein; C. each said cradle including:vertical guideways secured to the side of the vessel; an upwardly biasedmember guidedly movable in said guideways and including outstandingrigid arm means forming an inboard portion of the cradle; and a secondarcuate arm intermediately pivoted to the outer portion of said rigidarm means, said second arm being so disposed that its outer portionforms an outboard upstanding log-cradling portion of the cradle spacedfrom the vessel; and D. means associated inboard with said second armfor engaging and pivotally moving the same to dislodge upward aNd dumpoutward logs accumulated and bundled in such cradle.
 2. Log-bundlingapparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the rigid arm meansincludes a pair of spaced-apart, outstanding arcuate arms, and thesecond arcuate arm is outwardly pivoted between said pair of armsintermediate its ends so that the inboard portion is normally disposedbetween said pair of rigid arcuate arms and forms part of the cradlebottom of the cradle.
 3. Log-bundling apparatus in accordance with claim2 in which the inner end of the second arcuate arm includes a bailengageable by hoisting means for exerting force upward on the inner endof the second arcuate arm to discharge the cradle.
 4. Log-bundlingapparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the vertically guidedmember is biased upward toward the surface of water at the side of thevessel by biasing means mounted on the deck of the vessel and a flexibledraft member connects between said guided member of said biasing means.5. The structure according to claim 1 in which there is mounted in thevessel means to lift and move logs to deposit them in said cradles.